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Harry ki shaadi: We Indians may not like the British Raj, but we’re still fascinated by British rajas 😜

We Indians may not have liked the British Raj but we’re fascinated by British rajas. When Prince Harry of England and Hollywood actor Meghan Markle announced their engagement, Indian media exploded with lots of royal band baaja baraat. Quipped the internet wag, thank god Harry fell for the American Markle and not for the German Merkel. Meghan’s brought Hollywood glamour to the royal family and the couple has also refreshingly broken some important cultural barriers which is cause for celebration. Why can’t we break similar cultural walls when it comes to our very own Rani Padmavati and an imagined story with sultan Alauddin Khilji? Since Harry’s met Meghan, can’t Padmavati meet Khilji? The unseemly controversy over the film has hardly been India’s crowning glory.

We desis have always loved royalty. That’s why Raja Hindustani is one of our favourite films and Rani Mukherjee one of our favourite stars. Even our elected representatives behave like rajkumars and rajkumaris. The British Raj was replaced first by Congress-raj then BJP-raj. Dynastic succession rules in almost every political party, but uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. We hope for good political leaders and during elections we like to sing mere sapno ki Rani kab ayegi tu, even though voters are still waiting for a new Jhansi ki Rani or at least a Queen of hearts. We want our politicians to be like Raja Harishchandra or bring us Ram Raj-ya, but sometimes we only get the king of good times or even worse, the king of the jungle. That’s why we’re forced to admit, yatha raja thatha praja.

Flying maharaja class is good, though. Remember PM Modi’s lunch with Queen Elizabeth and his tight handshake with Prince William which left an imprint on the Duke of Cambridge’s hand? When Princess Diana was photographed posing in front of the Taj Mahal, it was clear India was still the jewel in the crown. And who can forget how Bollywood heroine Padmini Kolhapure once planted a kiss on Prince Charles’s cheek, becoming the first instance of an Indian singing jumma chumma de de to the British royal family. These days we have our own royal families in cricket, Bollywood and politics even though the Nehru-Gandhi ‘royal’ family has been accused of putting us in a royal mess. But now that England’s Prince Harry is getting married, will Rahul Gandhi the Congress yuvaraj soon find his rani?

DISCLAIMER : This article is intended to bring a smile to your face. Any connection to events and characters in real life is coincidental.

Author

Sagarika Ghose has been a journalist for almost three decades, starting her career with The Times of India, subsequently moving to Outlook magazine and The Indian Express. She has been a primetime news anchor and at present is Consulting Editor, The Times Of India. She is also a political commentator on the news channel ET Now. Ghose is the author of the recently published best selling biography of Indira Gandhi, "Indira, India's Most Powerful Prime Minister." She is also the author of two novels, both published worldwide.

Sagarika Ghose has been a journalist for almost three decades, starting her career with The Times of India, subsequently moving to Outlook magazine and The . . .

Author

Sagarika Ghose has been a journalist for almost three decades, starting her career with The Times of India, subsequently moving to Outlook magazine and The Indian Express. She has been a primetime news anchor and at present is Consulting Editor, The Times Of India. She is also a political commentator on the news channel ET Now. Ghose is the author of the recently published best selling biography of Indira Gandhi, "Indira, India's Most Powerful Prime Minister." She is also the author of two novels, both published worldwide.

Sagarika Ghose has been a journalist for almost three decades, starting her career with The Times of India, subsequently moving to Outlook magazine and The . . .